Fantasy The Original Superverse [OSV IC]

[OppositeInverse]

ARC #1 - Catalyst​

Space.

A NASA astronaut and his partner floats just off the surface of the International Space Station, as he looks out into the distance with a special holographic visor on his helmet. A Colonel in the service of the space administration along with a veteran astronaut very well versed in astrophysics and quantum science. It was a year in the making, with intense and rigorous training for the two over the span of months after months to become space certified. A year of classified and covert training all befell to the current moment at hand, organizing with international and advanced powers to get to this moment in time. Their visor glass was fitted with a special and classified technology developed in the past year by the world's best engineers, it gave the ability to see beyond the visible spectrum, ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. It was the only way to get a look. The look. This was a year coming, ever since it was detected by an incidental satellite that was sent off decades ago, who would've thought humanity would've ever become witness to the moment. The one that would redefine the course of mankind being the staple of the universe. Now there was something more profound and complex. Something more powerful. The astronauts look on as the glare off of their helmet reflects light... but from the outside, out in the vastness of space... there was no light to reflect from.

This is control, do you have a visual?

"My God... I see it. It's fluctuating. Can someone tell me how this is possible?"

We know just as much as you two.

"It's the most absolute beautiful and terrifying thing I've ever seen. It's a light, but it's going in and out of phase, I don't know how to explain this but I swear to God it's like it's going in and out of the universe. It's closer than we thought. We need to notify all channels. Get prepared down on the ground."

We're getting visual recording through your cam feed. This technology is working aces for us. We've logged it at a constant 410 kilo-miles wide, seems to be moving at the speed of light. Dr. Tyson gives us a time frame of about a week, we need to consider that this is our extinction event... Dr. Voyyd you seeing any identifiers?

"Nothing in all my thesis, research, studies, or expertise has even entailed a phenomena such as this, yet I'm the one with the best qualified experience for this? It's almost as if it's disappearing from the physical spectrum entirely, going in and out of existence. This could be anything from a cloud of anti-matter, to our first sighting of apparent tachyons... we need to be worried."

"Or it could be the greatest damn light show history will never know. We can't exactly mass manufacture special goggles for people to watch like some eclipse. We can't tell them to head to the nearest fallout shelter in the span of a week. This is on us. It's acting like light, but fundamentally operating like it's... quantumless. We've never seen anything like-- "

Colonel? Colonel do you read? Dr. Voyyd!? Come on don't do this...! COLONEL! DOCTOR!?
​

Five Days Later

"I just feel like ... I don't know like I'm supposed to be doing something else. Like something is calling me. But I can't move forward, I can't take that step because you're not here with me." Kasey leans against the back of a tombstone, one that read 'Here lies Shawn Yates' while she sipped on her Gatorade and sighed while staring into the deep yet paled sky. The bleak clouds seemed to have devoured the hope of the sky's true beauty. Her face was dried from the resolved tears that fell moments earlier. She twirled one of her braided pigtails with her free hand, almost in a trance as she vented while staring to the heavens. "Mom tries to take on your role of authority. Tries to snap me out of it, it's kinda funny. But I know she's trying, and I know you'd want me to let her, just so she can cope. She's still making me go to that therapist, Dr. Oliver. He's easy to talk to, but I just don't see the point. I'm fine dad, I really really am. Will I ever be okay with you not being here? Never ever. But, I'm not going bat-shit.. I mean bat-crap crazy or losing my mind. I grieved, cried my heart out, and I'm moving forward gradually. Mom thinks I'm depressed because I'm quiet all the time, I don't really talk to anyone at school. Sports has been a good outlet, soccer has been good. Would you believe I almost got in a fight? Haha little old me."

Kasey's phone rings in her pocket as she sees it's her mom. She chuckles to herself "It's your wife." She picks up to hear her mother speaking to someone in the background, no doubt work related. People always said Kay was the spitting image of her mother Wanda. "Hey momma... yeah just hanging with dad. Um, should be home in half an hour. Ugh, mom I don't need therapy you keep saying yourself I'm fine so why go as a precaution like I'm some risk? Haha, I promise I'm finnnneeeeee. *Sigh* fine, see you in a bit. Love you." Kay hangs up and bows her head in defeat, shaking her head before looking over her shoulder to her father's grave. "See?" She then hops up and pulls her car keys from her pocket, kissing her hand and transferring it to the stone material of the tombstone in affection. "Love you dad."

Kasey makes her way to her car, Joykada. It was her dad's, his oldie pride and joy, for some reason men always named their cars female names, she remembered her dad told her his reason was to idolize key women figures he respected and adored in his life, but as a special moment between him and her they named the car together. So young Kasey suggested Kada, a mix of Wanda and Kasey, the humored Shawn added in Joykada, for his wife Wanda, mother Joy, and daughter Kasey. And so Joykada was born. She started her up, and prepared for yet another day in the life of Kasey Yates. She adjusted her mirrors, put on her seatbelt, and made her way to Parkway, the district of Fulcrum City where her residence was.

Not knowing what the future would hold.

Mentions: TYPE​

 

[TYPE]

​

The morning had been a trying one on the patience of one Doctor Auer. He had sat quietly, reading within his office, when he had noticed something odd. Time had passed as it always did, yet it had not produced a previously promised patron. His eyes moved from the file he had been scanning over, towards the old, hand-carved clock set beside the doorway - across from his desk. The hands read nine. The sides of his mouth turned down.
He understood many things. He understood many people. He understood a need to work and work hard. He understood dedication to your craft. Yet... businessmen would forever frustrate him. This very morning he was called awake by a client at 4:00 a.m. A well paying, regular client. The man had more stress within him per square inch than most towns have combined. He made more in a day than most people made in their lifetimes. And so, when he begged Oliver for an emergency session this morning, he had cancelled his sessions at the local holding facility, disappointing people who really should not be disappointed too often. Interrupting a well-developed schedule. Undermining an entire day's planning and preparation. But he had managed to calm himself. Order his mind. Push away any resentment and focus not the fact that a patient needed him. And he would accommodate them.
And now he would- His phone started vibrating. Oliver's frown deepened as he reached for it, blindly pressing the answer button. "Dr Auer." And there it was. A message through an assistant, just letting Oliver know that the businessman would not be making it. Again. Immediately Oliver's mind went over their previous appointment. How the man had begged Oliver to just fix him. And do so quickly. For Oliver to hold his hand and tell him that he was good enough. Oliver had obviously not done that, but he commented on and commended the man for showing great emotion. Which at the moment was a good thing. Now, a few days later and his pride must have caught up with him. He was probably feeling ashamed of his assumed weakness. His show of desperation. Oliver wanted to hit himself over the head. It was suddenly clear what this whole thing was. A show of power. A reclaiming of authority. The man wanted to just show who was in control of this relationship. And the best way he could do that was to fuck with Oliver's schedule. The frown deepened a fraction more. He made a note in the patient's file, before closing it - and filing it away. He was going home. He would reschedule with the clinic and see if he could get a few more sessions in this afternoon.
Travelling home was a standard affair. The car was as quiet as it always was. No music or noise coming from the sound system. His eyes staying on the road, his breathing controlled. He then noticed how tired he was. His arms felt weak. His attention strained. Had he not slept well? He would need to see if a nap would fix this. He could get a few hours in before leaving for the afternoon. If it was not resolved, he would need to make an appointment with his Doctor. His schedule should allow for one within the next few days. Mentally he made a note. As he absentmindedly parked the car in front of his building, he sat quietly for a few more moments, his eyes flying out of the front window - looking over the red brick exterior, finding the window on the fourth floor. His home.
And now another lived there as well. A young Russian man. A young Russian man who obviously was prone to trouble. Minor facial trauma, long since healed marks on the arms and neck. The smell of smoke, and the skin tone speaking of at least minor malnourishment. One that was almost overcome with emotion at the prospect of general human decency. One who clearly did not know how to ask for something, nor knew how to be grateful when offered something for free. There was a lot there. A lot of conflict. A lot of danger. Which he wanted to explore. Did that sour the gesture? Was he being selfish? Using the horrible circumstances of another as a means of entertainment? As a means of cheating karma? To make himself feel better about himself? A deep sigh, before he got out of the car, grabbing his briefcase, fixing his tie and his cufflinks. It did not matter. Even if he was being selfish, his need to feel good about himself resulted in a general increase of good. Which did not make the selfish desire good, but did not make the gesture bad. Which made the entire internal debate academic anyway. He started towards the doors, before heading in and up to his flat.
The keys made their jingling sound as normal, as he opened his door, the lock clicking behind him. He heard some noise from the TV, and started walking down the short hallway, before reaching the open living/dining room. On one of the couches lazed 'Komi' as he had told Oliver he could be called. Which was just as well. He would never be able to recall the real name. Placing down his briefcase, and taking off his overcoat, hanging it on a hook, he turned back to the Russian boy. "Morning. I had a cancelled session. Did you take your medicine yet? Did you shower? or bathe? I put out some towels for you in your room. Last night. If you noticed." He stopped speaking, frowning slightly. "It might make you drowsy. The medicine I mean." The noise from the TV was much louder than he normally would have it. His eyes flicked to it every few seconds, before he walked over and sat down in his favourite reading chair - facing away from the TV, and towards the windows. Should he have offered tea before sitting down? Standing up again might seem strange. Maybe wait a few moments. "You might slip, or fall asleep - many people drown because they take medication before they bathe."
This was strange. He could talk to clients. He could talk to colleagues. He could talk to most people. But this was strange. He needed to figure out how to talk to a... roommate? A ward? He felt his shoulders slump as he noticed the tiredness returning. "Did you have some of the soup? Or do you prefer eggs? I think there are some. I can make some." His focus moved away from where they had gone to the window out of habit. They landed on the other again, noticing the wounds, before going back to the eyes. He rose a brow. Waiting for a response.

 

[Braddington]

Komissarov Isaak Nikolayevich
​

The morning had simply been quiet for Komi. He had slept reasonably well for a change, if you discounted the pain which he had to put up with. Something he was used to regardless. But the quiet was still the best consequence of this fortuitous situation. He had gotten into a routine of waking up to a busy city, noise all around him, the sounds of cars and people going about their business. To have that peace and quiet, to be able to just lay there in perfect silence was a feeling he only occasionally had the assets to enjoy and even then not true silence like this. Not only that, but he was trusted with this alone by his...landlord? A man whom he had attempted to rob who instead of having him arrested, which would of been simple enough with the state he was in, offered him a place to stay within his own home. That very morning they had exchanged but a few words and he had been left with access to food, medicine and best of all, a television. A luxury he was sure to exploit. Whoever this "Oliver" was, he was far more generous than was probably sensible.

Still, Komi wasn't going to complain. He took advantage of it all. He quickly ate up the soup, he was positively starving. He hadn't eaten for a while and that was only if you thought what he had last eaten qualified as food. So the soup went down his throat faster than a sports car on a race track. The medicine was a different matter. He didn't take it. He wasn't going to tell Oliver that if he asked, he would just feign some form of relief. He had his reasons for not taking it, reasons that many might consider stupid but something Komi fiercely stuck too regardless. It would take more than these wounds to persuade him otherwise. With all of that done he had only one more item of immediate business. Relaxation. He sat down on one of the couches, lazily stretching out, making sure he was in a less painful and flicked on the TV.

For the next few hours he sat there, flicking through channels, until he found his way to Netflix and a show he remembered from Russia called Silver Spoon in English. It was a good feeling, being able to simply watch television. He fell into a trance, watching a few episodes back to back before almost falling back to sleep. He jolted back to full alertness when he heard the door key turn. An initial reaction of fright hit him, his natural instincts that had saved him so many times before, telling him he had to get out. It took him a second to calm himself, to realize once more where he was and that the only other person who held a key was Oliver.

When his fears were truly put to rest and the figure he had come to recognize walked in, his body released that tension and he returned to his lazed state. As a flurry of questions came to him he answered them all to the...best of his ability. "No, sorry, I got engrossed with the television. So no shower or bath just yet. It's been so long since I had the ability to watch something on a proper TV." He quietly avoided the question of medication, taking in a sharp breath with each sentence, trying to hide the pain in his voice. When Oliver pursued the medical line of thought, he simply nodded and smiled in a less than convincing way. At the notion of more food, he lit up. "I ate the soup but if you're offering eggs, I will take them as well. I am starving, literally." He paused for a moment, realizing he had forgotten something important. "Sorry, I apologize for my lack of manners. It's not right, you have let me stay here, the least I can do is say please. So, if you're offering I will accept them please." He made sure to add emphases on the please, making sure his tone conveyed that he actually meant it. Which he did.

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Kristina Karuss

"Its time to wake up"
"There is much to be done.
"The wrong person at the right time, can make all the difference."
"So, rise and shine Kristina, Rise and shine."

A loud gunshot erupting from out of her parents TV caused Kristina to suddenly jerk awake. Sitting up and rubbing her head she took a moment to gather herself before finally turning over and giving up on getting up. Head hitting her pillow again it was then that she heard footsteps. Hearing them get closer and closer, the weight of them gave it away. "I know you are up." Her father spoke making Kris turn over and groan. "Are my eyes open?" Kris asked in response. "Nope, that means I am still sleeping." Kris replied before hearing her father walk back out. Rolling over on her bed she adjust herself so she was half hanging off before completely sliding onto the floor. Hitting the ground like a small sack of potatoes she grumbled before finally rolling over again and pushing herself up and onto her feet.

Stretching her arms out she reached up and touched the ceiling before lowering them again. Turning and taking a step she opened her dresser and began to feel around the inside. Finding a silk fabric shirt she instantly took it out. Sorting through her other drawers she finally managed to get herself dressed. Making her way out and into the kitchen she opened up the fridge but was instantly met with a hand on her shoulder. The slender fingers gave it away. "I can get it myself." Kris said, not meaning anything mean. "Just because you can doesn't mean you have to. You were grabbing the orange juice." Her mother spoke making Kris purse her lips. "That's not where the Orange juice goes." Kris mumbled under her breath. Feeling something cold near her hands she grabbed the milk her mother held out for her.

Managing to make her way out and into the dining room she took a seat at the family's large table. Opening the box of cereal she poured it into the bowl before attempting to do the same with her milk. Not making a mess she pushed it aside lightly before starting to eat. "This isn't fruity pebbles either." Kris mumbled out. The organization she lived with was a necessary must. Not wanting to have to rely on others Kris had gone out of her way to organize not only her room but also the fridge and kitchen in a way that she could easily work with. However, just having a few small items out of their place ends up throwing the whole machine into a frenzy. Taking a deep breath the anxiety Kris felt surged before she managed to push it away. Centering herself once more she went back to eating.

​

 

[Epiphany]

Kanika Singh​

"All of you here are larvae."

Dr. Miranda Hawthorne peered at the crowd of residents and Kanika felt herself reflexively melting into the group, wanting to avoid the spotlight of those judgmental eyes. Then, a moment later, she took a conscious step forward and drew the other doctor's attention with the movement. She returned the attending physician's unimpressed look with one of her own. Residency was a fresh start. She would not fall behind as she had in medical school.

"You're not mature. You're not ready to walk or even stand on your own. You haven't hatched yet. The worst is ahead of you. Transformation is an ugly, painful process. The next seven years you spend here as a resident in this medical program will be the worst of your life. But it will also be the best. With each case comes the opportunity to be more than you are now. To grow."

"Many of you won't. You spent four years getting a degree to spend another four years learning the basics of what we do here. You've come from good schools and you're used to being right all the time. You won't be here. Several of you here will be made to leave because you can't measure up. A few more than that will crack under the pressure and quit. The largest number of you who don't make it will give up to pursue an easier specialty. There's no shame in that. Transformation is painful and it's hard to admit that everything you are, right here and now, is going to be left behind like a discarded cocoon. You don't know who you are yet."

"As of today, you begin to find out. Now, let's go to work."

Kanika fell in with the half dozen other residents also assigned to Dr. Hawthorne and briefly watched the other residents split out to join their attendings instead. Her group included no one she'd ever met. It was time to make a good impression, keep her head down and focused on the work. Butterflies, stirred up by her nervousness and the attending's evocative imagery, fluttered in her stomach and she pressed a hand against it. The other hand brushed her white coat back, the garment still unfamiliar to the newly employed resident.

Her ID badge bumped against her shirt pocket. Kanika Singh, M.D.

"You are about to begin your first 24 hour shift," Dr. Hawthorne continued, as her residents rushed to keep up with her. "You're going to be exhausted by the end. It was 48 hours when I was a resident so be grateful. You are going to be pushed to remember names, faces, medical history. You're going to need to update patient charts every single second. You will make mistakes and I absolutely promise you'll wish you could be in more than one place at the same time. Push yourself. Your patients deserve more than your very best."

The pleasant feel of what she'd so recently earned faded as she faced the prospect of her first 24 hour shift. Straightening her sleeves, Kanika hefted her tablet and signed in to the charts for the first patient she would be making rounds on. It promised to be a long, difficult day at Fulcrum City Hospital.

 

[erzulie]

Angelina Monaè
Location: Work
Tags: None

Morning was her favorite time of day. Unlike many Angelina loved waking in the morning and getting ready for her busy day ahead of her. She’d freshened up in the bathroom and gotten dressed in a simple and practical outfit for her profession. Angelina slipped on a fresh, white lab coat. Her breakfast had been a cappuccino and a banana muffin. Angelina at her light breakfast on her way to work. Before long she pulled up to the laboratory that she currently worked. It was rather modern looking, it was made from steel and glass. Angelina loved the design of it, to her it was far fancier than what she pictured a laboratory to be.

Once she entered Angelina greeted her fellow scientist. She chuckled as she watched some move with the pace of a zombie. She greeted them with a warm smile on her face. Angelina threw away her empty cup and muffin wrapper. She then entered her favorite room. It was full of plants of all kinds. Currently they were testing the plants reaction to different types of weather conditions.​

 

[OppositeInverse]

So, you think this event that happened a week ago is some kind of end times thing? You know how many of those we've had!? The Mayan prophecy of 2012, the Y2K Apocalypse! I'm just saying, why send astronauts on a op to the ISS and the official time of launch or travel log is never recorded? And then you hear in very small news channels or media outlets about some cosmic wave of an unidentified origin coming near Earth but yet no one covers it? Have you thought that maybe it's a regular old classified thing that doesn't concern us, as opposed to jumping to a conspiracy? No! And I'll tell you why! Becau--

Kasey Yates

Kasey turns the radio off as she pulls into the parking lot of her home. The door was already open, assuredly her mother had just gotten home not too long ago. She shuts Joykada off as she grabs her backpack and heads into the house, the weight of the day and the affairs of her mind and heart pressed down inside of with an almost ethereal pressure. A driving force that seemed to bind all souls in the universe from escaping their limited scope of thinking and feeling, past the point where they could reach into true potential at any willed moment in time. She duck walks with a sigh, looking at the sky with a sense of gloomy foreboding.

"Momma. Home." She starts to dart upstairs, until a quick arm seemingly out of nowhere grabs her from a spontaneous location. It was her mother, and as Kasey tried to figure out where in Bob's Burgers she came from, her mother embraced her in a quick and tight hug, void of the extra mushy stuff. Just how Kasey like it. She smiled at her knowing she startled her daughter. A smile which only lengthened as she held up a notepad with a timed planner in it, one that had written in very clear ink that it was imminent time for her to attend her session with Dr. Auer. Kasey sighed deeply as she lowered her head in futility, returning a look of annoyance at her. Wanda shook her head in disbelief. "Man, I swear looking at you pout is like looking in a mirror." She playfully grabs Kasey's cheeks in that annoying old lady fashion as Kasey jerks away in rebellion, sticking her tongue out at her mom as she moved up to her room. She was Kasey's best friend, honestly the only one she trusted at least. The last real best friend she had was her dad... she shook the thoughts as she dumped the backpack on the bed and took out her MacBook, with it too reminding her of her appointment.

She really didn't understand why she had to keep going. It's been a year since she went, and over a year and a half since her dad died. She felt fine. Even talking with Dr. Auer was almost like it wasn't a therapy session at all. She didn't really show signs of anger or aggression, she wasn't all mopey and sloppy. She'd done that whole deal already, for many many nights in the recent time period of her father's death. More so when the FCPD dropped the case. Even though they never caught the killer, she at least had closure of seeing him before being buried. It was a grim notion, but she had no choice to accept the cards life dealt. She could only hope he was explaining thermal dynamics with God at a table accompanied by Einstein and Socrates. He was a beast chemical engineer, one of the best in his field. The entire engineering community was in attendance of his funeral. She looked at a picture of him and her on a vacation. Smiling as she thought back to the memory. She heard her mother calling Dr. Auer downstairs to make sure there was an appointment to be had, while Kasey sat and thought about all the time she had with her father Shawn, and all the time she wished she had. Time. An ever-alluding concept, but one so fixed in humanity. It was the currency of human biology.

She opened up her MacBook, her homepage a local Fulcrum City hub called Full-Crum.com. It was basically Google but on a much much smaller scale limited to all districts of Fulcrum City and its outskirts. Her computer class at Parkway High School had made her download it as a resource for projects and assignment material. Apparently the school system had made a deal with the site to promote more local cultural awareness or something.

Headlines:

Russian Crime in Fulcrum City? What You Need to Know.
Fulcrum City School System to Incorporate International Exchange Program
Fulcrum City Medical Center Reaches All-Time Employee High, And We're Glad For It.
Earth's Medicine: How Botanists Use Natural Herbs For Health Hacks
Fulcrum University's Science Department Researches Cosmic 'Catalyst Conspiracy'


"Kasey! Come down for a sec!"

Sighing in annoyance of having to get up, the young teen hops off her bed and makes her way towards her mother. Her open MacBook shows the time, but it mysteriously starts to glitch. The sky outside gets faintly darker.

TYPE​

 

[TYPE]

​

Oliver looked at Komi for a few moments. His eyes bore into the subtle - some of them less so - twitches in the younger man's body. The boy might be used to the streets... but even with his proclivity for bullshit, the boy was not that good of a liar. Even when doing so through omission. His shoulders suddenly feeling quite heavy, he sat back in his chair for a few moments. His eyes closing. He had only interacted with him for a few hours in total now. Most of it, spent on testing the waters, testing the boundaries. It would not do to push now. With all this change in his life, the sudden and abrupt turn of pace... it would not do to pressure him further. Not wanting to take medicine, on balance, might be better than being entirely dependant on it. You can convince someone to occasionally take it with reluctance. You can't talk someone out of addiction. He felt his frown forming and he took another deep breath, trying to smooth out his face. Then he nodded. Just once, in the direction of Komi. Without saying a word, or even acknowledging the deception verbally, he would accept it. He slowly got out of his chair, his arms shaking a bit as he lifted himself up and out. Wordlessly he walked over towards the kitchen, filling the kettle and setting it to boil.
"How do you like your eggs? White or Brown toast?" He called from the kitchen, not being able to see Komi from this vantage point. He took off his blazer - hanging it over the back of a chair, rolled up and repinned his cuffs just below the elbow, before putting on an apron. Shaking his hands his steeled his focus. He can be tired later. Food, required precision and skill. Neither of which suffered well under lethargy. Taking out pans, extra virgin olive oil, honey, some sweet basil, rosemary, olive and garlic butter, he walked over towards the stove and flicked on the gas, igniting and preheating the pan. Before the kettle started boiling, he quickly took it off power and poured a bit of the lukewarm water into a shallow pan - before placing a few eggs in as well - resetting and letting the kettle continue to heat up towards a boil. Rolling the eggs around in the water with the tips of his fingers, he waited till they were slightly warmer than room temperature. Adding some olive oil, with only a dash of the garlic butter to the pan, he reduced the heat somewhat - before preparing the eggs. Adding freshly ground pepper and some salt when done. The smells filled the relatively small room, causing him to breathe in deeply. He closed the pan with a lid, allowing it some extra time. Just as the lid was placed down, the kettle whistled.
In an elegant movement, he with practised ease took out two cups, a pot, and the sugar pot. Quickly filling and letting that steep, he turned back to the stove and moved the eggs off the heat. Just then his phone vibrated, and he quickly took it out - seeing the name of a usual client's mother flashing. He picked up and confirmed that he would be in his offices again at 3:15 and that the 3:30 session is open for Kasey. ( OppositeInverse ) He replaced his phone before toasting a few slices of bread as well, according to Komi's preferences, before he dished up, and poured the tea. The entire affair went down without a hitch, and Oliver could not help the small smirk that came from a job well done. Even if he had to say so himself. Turning back to the tea, he opened the sugar pot and noticed it was empty. He frowned, before making his way over towards the pantry.
"Sugar. Sugar. Sugar, sugar, sugar." The words absentmindedly escaped his mouth under his breath, as he tried to imagine the last time he used sugar, and why he had not filled the pot? Maybe Komi used the last? As he imagined the white crystalline granules, and as the last "sugar" left his lips he felt something in his hands. He looked down, and saw them covered in a fine dusting of... salt? A quick sniff. Sugar? A lick. Definitely sugar. He looked back at the pot. It had seemed clean. Strange. Maybe his house needed a spring clean. He would schedule on for this weekend. He refilled the sugar once more, before taking everything out towards Komi, and retaking his seat.

 

[Epiphany]

Kanika Singh​

Her twelfth patient had a medical chart that made Kanika wince. Twenty five years old female, GCS of six, BP 80 over 60. Diagnosed for blunt head trauma, unequal breath sounds, right pupil was dilated and she'd just come out of X-Ray. Her hands were lacerated as well, the knuckles especially. She'd tried to fight an attacker. With a negative rape kit, she'd apparently 'won' at the cost of her health. If the neurologist saw something surgical, Kanika would have the chance to witness a surgery and she struggled at the moment with the notion of 'hoping' the poor girl had more damage. Because it would mean more to learn from.

"Hey, what are you doing after work?"

"What?" Kanika blinked and glanced at one of her fellow interns. Ralph Anderson apparently, she was still getting names down. "After work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, what are you doing?"

"Sleeping, probably. Aren't you?"

Ralph shrugged. "Eh, you can sleep when you're dead. There's a brain tumor biopsy which could be big tomorrow, scheduled at 9am. I was going to grab some coffee and catch it. You in?"

"...Yeah, sure," Kanika said, offering a hesitant smile. His answering smile and then swift departure left her feeling a bit confused about what had just happened. Was that professional courtesy? Was he trying to gauge a rival? Or was this a date? And the biggest question; which of those did she want it to be?

Glancing back at her tablet, Kanika frowned when the screen suddenly glitched out on her. She tapped it twice and raised an eyebrow when the screen artifact fixed itself. That was weird. Then she went on to her next patient, oblivious to the gradual darkening of the sky outside.

 

[OppositeInverse]

Kasey Yates

Kasey heads down the stairs to her mother who'd just seem to finish checking her phone. She had already alluded to the cause of her summons via inference and the zillion times she'd been through this before. She was to see Dr. Auer today, and of all times, she had to go in at 3:30. She didn't know why that time was specifically bothersome for her, she just felt like she could be doing more productive things aside from chatting with a psychology professional about things ranging from mundane to philosophically intriguing all because of an alleged and unofficial behavior that was at risk for anxiety-related factors. She didn't even have to say it, but she knew she would anyways. "You have a session today." Kasey simply nods following a deep sigh as she headed back upstairs and into her room. She closes the door and decides there was no point in even trying to get comfortable since she had to leave in a matter of minutes. She shut her MacBook and looked out her window into the view of the vast Fulcrum City in the distance. Parkway had its perks aside from the well known bane of downtown traffic, it was next to Fulcrum Park, which was the staple of the district name, and a ton of very convenient venues. Some of the best restaurants, and the hospital wasn't too far away; A distance that was very much quick by car and even mildly manageable by foot.

Kasey started to gather her pocket book and some other miscellaneous items as she grabbed her car keys and just made the choice to head out early, so that she could actually have the off chance of getting there a little bit earlier than usual. She just wanted to get it over with. Make no mistake, she harbored no bad feelings or any ill will towards Dr. Auer, if anything she saw him as a pretty cool figure and someone that was easy to talk to outside of the professional setting, she just really saw the therapy / sessions themselves as rather irrelevant. Especially over something she was trying to shed that was over a year and a half ago. Something that had already brought her so much pain and misery. Now it was like every session she was reminded of it again because she felt the need to bring it up. Her feet thumps against the stairs as she heads out. Her mother stops in front of her as she looked into Kasey's eyes, no doubt about to give another speech.

"You know I know you're okay right? But it's still good to have someone to talk to. I love you." Kasey just nodded, not even wanting to point out the obvious fact that she already had someone to talk to, it was supposed to be her, her very own mother. Kay wanted to tell her, since maybe that the reason for sending Kasey instead of talking to her own daughter about the accident was because maybe she was too afraid to talk about it. Too insecure. Maybe it wasn't Kasey that needed to face it, but maybe it was her. But alas, the notion went unspoken, as Kasey grabs her keys and heads out the door. "Love you."

Kasey hops in Joykada and cranks her baby up as she backs out, Wanda watching her closely and carefully as she heads into the urban breaches of Fulcrum City, towards Dr. Auer's offices. She turns on the radio to hear more of the conversation from earlier, where a DJ and a guest speak on something called The Catalyst. Hadn't Kasey seen that in an online article at home? She perks a brow in curiosity as she turns the volume up on it, trying to get caught up to speed on what this viral topic of discussion the past week was really supposed to be...

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